1700-acre solar project proposed near Columbia River

One of the Northwest’s most ambitious solar projects has been proposed for 1,700 acres of private and public land in Klickitat County near the Columbia River.

The project by Portland-based Avangrid Renewables is one of the largest yet proposed for Washington. The site would include an operation and maintenance building and a collector substation. The plan calls for an estimated 515,700 solar modules.

The surge in interest of building solar farms in the Pacific Northwest and expanding wind power has been helped along by state lawmakers’ consideration of legislation to require utilities to clamp down on carbon emissions generated by coal and natural gas fired power plants.